Easel bracket



May 14, 1929. J, w, DIXON 1,712,756

EASEL BRACKET Filed Feb. 13, 1928 Patented May 14, 1929.

JOHN W. DIXON, OF MAYWOD,` ILLINOIS.

EASEL BRACKET.

Application filed February 13, 1928. Serial No. 253,861.

This invention relates to easel brackets, and has been designedprimarily for use in connection with printed or lithographed`advertising displays, such as posters, pictures, calendars, and thelike, Which are printed upon limp paper, cloth, or the like, and hencelack the requisite body or stiitness to render them self-supporting. i

Une ot the objects of the present invention is to provide improved meansfor connecting i the easel bracket `to the printed sheet. Another objectis to simplify, cheapen and otherwise improve upon the construction oteasel brackets. Another object is to provide an easel bracket which maybe easily assembled for use and disassembled tor storageor ship ment.v i

Another object is to provide improved means for adj ustably connectingtheleg member oitv the easel with the other supporting members thereof,whereby' the leg member may be readily extended into a position torsupporting the easel, and whereby the leg member may bereadily movedback against the other., members, so that the entire easel may occupybut little space for storage or shipment. Another object is to providean extensible supporting element between opposite edges of the sheet andhaving resilientV means for holding the members of the supportingelement in extended position, Whereby the sheet may be stretched taut. r

ther objects and advantages Will appear in the course of thisspecification, and with said. objects and advantages in view, thisinvention consists in the several novel features oi' construction,arrangement and combinan tions oi parts hereinafter fully set forth andclaimed.

rllhe invention is clearly illustrated in the drawing accompanying thisspecification .in Which- Figure 1 is a perspective vievv of an easelbracket embodying a simple form of the present invention and showing thesame in position supporting a display sheet;

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation oi the easel, on an enlarged scale, Withcertain members, partly broken away;

Fig. 3 is detail vertical cross section taken onthe line 3 3 ot Fig. 2;

Fig. l is a detail vertical section taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2; i

Fig. 5 is a detail cross section taken on the Fig. 6 is a detailvertical cross section taken through the foot otl the leg member of theeasel.

Referring to said drawing, which illustrates a simple eml'lodiment ofthe `present invention, the reference character 10 designates arectangular sheet of paper, cloth, or the like, one ot both sides ofwhich is arranged to receive printed matter, such as posters, pictures,calendars, or other displaf.7 advertisements. Secured to the upper andlower edges ol the sheet l0 are metallic binding strips 11, each ofwhich is folded around and upon an edge portion oif 'the sheet, as isclearly seen in Fig. l, and is lattened down upon itseli to etl'ectivelygrip the edge portion and provide a stiiiening member theretor.

Secured to the binding strips 11 are opposite-.ly extending tongues 12which may be :formed of light gauge sheet metal. Said tongues may befastened in place between the rolled or folded together parts oit' thebinding strips. The tongues are iol-med With outwardly struck up loops13 which are adapted to receive tongues 14 formed on the ends of thesheet supporting member which isillustrated at 15. The tongues lll aremade slightly narrower than the supporting inember, whereby shouldersare formed at the ends of said supporting member that engage with theedges oi' the loops, as is clearly ,seen in Fig. 2.

The supporting member 15 is made telelscopie whereby it may be extendedand contracted :tor the purpose ot effecting its engagement with thetongues 12. As shown, the supporting member comprises two chan` nelshaped bars 1G and 17 termed ot light p gauge sheet metal, the flanges18 of which converge slightly towards each other, as seen in Fig. 5, toatord the telescopic connections between them.

Resilient means are provided between the two bars for moving them inopposite direc tions, lengthwise of each other, and, as shown, 'aidmeans comprise a coiled tension spring 18, one end ot which is securedto a bent up hook member 19, or other anchoring element, on the bar 17,and the other end o'f the spring is secured to a bent up hookeranchoring member 2O on the bar 16. The bar 16 is formed with aslot 21Which extends lengthwise of the bar, and the hook member 19 projectsthrough said slot so as to lie on the same side of the supporting memberas thehook member 2O.'V Both of said hook members and the spring arepreferably contained in the chanl nel of the supporting member.

The hook members'are formed in the parts of the channel bars thatoverlap each other, and each hook member is formed adjacent the end ofthe bar farthest removed from its Vpoint of connection with the bindingstrip,

whereby the tension ofthe spring is exerted to .extendthe bars andthereby hold the ends of ythe bars in locking engagement with the Atongues 12 and to stretch the sheet taut. The

supporting member is secured to the tongues 12 by telescoping the twomembers 16 and 17 far enough to permit the ends thereof to be insertedunderneath the loops 13.

The leg member 22, also formed of light Y gauge sheet metal of channelformation, is

employed as a brace for the easel, and said leg member is secured tothev upper bar 16 of the supporting member 15 by-a rivet 23, which ispreferably in the form of a hollow rivet.

The, neck or shank of the rivet extends through-a hole in one of thechannel bars and through a slot 211 formed in the leg member 22.

The upper end portion 25 of the leg member is bent atan angle to themain portion, whereby when the leg is placed in its angularly disposedsupporting position, said upper end 25 may lie parallel and contiguouswith the bar 16. The legmember 22 nests into the channel of the channelbar 16 and it upper end may be formed witha tongue 26 narrower than themain portion of the leg member, which tongue is arrangedto be insertedbehind a rloop 27 struck up from the bar 16. The. slot 24 permits thelegmember to bemoved downwards to disconnect itfrom the loop 27 and alsoalrlows the leg member to be moved upward until the main portion thereofmay be laid approximately parallel with the supporting member. This isdone when the parts are packed for shipment. The lower end of the egmemeber may be bent transverse to Yform a foot 28, around which may beplaced a rubber ferrule 29 which prevents the foot from scratching thesurface upon which the easel is placed.

- Inasmuch as the metal parts of the easel are the two parts ofthesupporting member provides a simple and convenient means for holdingthe supporting member in locking en- Vgagement With thefbinding stripsand also acts lto hol-d the sheet in a taut condition. With the use ofthe rivet connection between the supporting member and leg member, the

leg member is positively connected to the supporting member, but may bereadily adjusted to its supporting position or to its folded orcollapsed condition. When the supporting member and leg members arefolded together, the sheets lnay be rolled around the same and placed ina mailin tube for shipment. The parts are extreme y light and yet strongand rigid, and provide a very substantial easel bracket forsupportingposters, calendars and other advertising displays.

More or less variation of the exact details of construction is possiblewithout departing from the spirit of this invention. I desire,therefore, not to limit myself to the exact form of the constructionshown and described, but intend, in the following claims, to point outall of the invention disclosed herein.

I claim:

1. In an easel bracket, telescoping supporting members, a leg memberadapted for adjustment in obliquely extended relation to the supportingmembers and having a slotted upper endportion, including a partintermediate the ends of the slot extending at an angle to the mainportion of the leg and adapted to lie contiguous with one of thesupporting members, said angularly disposed end portion being relativelyshort as compared with the length of the leg and a rivet secured in oneof said supporting members and extending through said slot.

2. In an easel bracket, two telescoping supporting members, both ofchannel formation and both having interlocking converging side flanges,a leg member of channel formation adapted for adjustment in obliquelyextended relation to the supporting members, said leg member having aslotted upper end, having a part intermediate the ends of the slot,disposed atan angle to the main portion of the leg member and adapted tonest into said supporting members, and a rivet secured in one of saidsupporting members and extending through said slot.

3. In an easel bracket, telescoping channel shaped supportingr membersformed with interlocking converging side flanges, one of ywhichsupport-ing members is formed with a.

struck up loop, a leg member nested into one of said channel shapedsupporting members adapted for adjustment in obliquely extended relationto said supporting members and having a slot-ted upper end portionformed with a tongue adapted to enter said loop, said upper end portionbeing angularly dlsposed with respect to the remainder of the legmember, and a headed connecting member secured to one of said supportingmembers and extending through the slot in said leg member.

4. The combination of a sheet of material having binding strips securedon two of its opposite edges, tongues` one secured to each binding stripand extending toward the other tongue, each tongue being formed with astruck up loop, a longitudinal extensible supporting member formed withside flanges and having a tongue on each end beyond said side fiangesadapted for insertion into said loops with the ends of the side `flangesabutting against the loops, and a leg member adjustably secured to saidsupporting member.

5. rlhe combination of a sheet ot material having binding strips on twoot its opposite edges, tongues, `one secured to each binding strip andextending toward the other tongue, each tongue being formed with astruck up loop, a two part extensible supporting member having tongueson its ends adapted to be inserted into said loops, resilient means forextending the two parts of said extensible supporting member, and a legsecured to said supporting member.

t. The combination of a sheet of material having binding strips on twoot' its opposite edges, tongues, one secured to each binding strip an dextending towards the other tongue, each tongue being terme-d with astruck up loop, two telescoping channel shaped bars forming anextensible supporting member, each bar having a tongue formed on itsouter end adapted to be inserted into the loop of one ot the tongues onthe binding strip, resilient means connectedto said channel bars andarranged to extend them in opposite di` rections, and a channel shapedleg member adjustably secured to one of said channel bars.

7. The combination of a sheet of material having binding strips securedupon two ot other end secured to the other bar, whereby the supportingbars are extended in opposite directions.

8. The combination of a sheet of material having binding strips upon twoof its opposite edges, slotted tongues extending from said bindingstrips, two channelshaped bar members, the one telescoping into theother and arranged tor connection with said tongues, said channel barsbeing formed with anchoring members arranged at one side of the barmembers, one of said bar members being formed with a slot through whichthe anchoring member of the other bar member extends, and a coiledtension spring, the ends of which are secured upon said anchoringmembers.

9.l In an easel bracket, two telescoping channel shaped supporting barsformed with interlocking converging side tlanges and a channel shapedlef" member having an angu.` larly bent slotted end portion adapted tonest into the channel of one of said channel bars, and a headedconnecting member on one ot said channel bars and entering the slot ofthe leg member.

l0. ln an easel bracket, two `telescoping supporting bars of channelformation having interlocking converging side flanges, means 'forholding said bars in extending position, a leg member ot channeltorina-tion having an angularly bent end portion nested in the channelo1u one of said channel bars, there being a slot in said bent up endportion of the leg member, and a headed itastening member secured in oneot the channel bars and en tending through the slot of the leg member.

JOHN W. DIXON.

